Influence Peddler: Leaf Greener Bridges East and West

SHANGHAI — As senior fashion editor of Elle China, Leaf Greener’s style credentials were already cemented in her homeland. But it was a chance encounter with photographer Scott Schuman during Milan Fashion Week in 2008 — and the resulting images of her style on his site, The Sartorialist — which brought her to the attention of the wider world.
She quickly became a favorite of street style photographers, including friend Tommy Ton, at international fashion weeks, and after leaving Elle China in 2014, she launched her own digital magazine on China’s WeChat platform.
Today, Leaf, the magazine, has 20,000 subscribers. Each issue digs deep into the theory of design, sometimes with designers and luxury brands — such as Hermès, Chloé and Loewe — but also with other creatives. The current issue, for example, focuses on the work of Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.
Greener also acts as a consultant to a number of Chinese brands and foreign labels looking to make a mark in the Chinese market, particularly helping them negotiate the country’s unique social media sphere.
Her international exposure has been helped by her Instagram account, which has in excess of 160,000 followers, even though the platform is blocked in her home country.
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